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iOS App of the Week The Red Cross was in the news recently when it issued new guidelines for performing CPR - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - and it has followed this up with a free First Aid app that's worth downloading in case of emergencies.

The app is divided into four sections. The Emergency area provides instant advice for dealing with common injuries and illnesses, such as allergy attacks and broken bones. There are video clips and diagrams to help you out, and even timers to make sure you perform procedures for the correct length of time.

Look up commonplace emergencies (left) and learn how to deal with them (right)

That initial advice is followed by a Q&A section that provides more detailed advice and corrects common misconceptions, such as the notion of applying ice to a burn.

The other two sections are designed to prepare you in advance. The Learn zone provides basic information about medical emergencies, explaining how to recognise things like a heart attack, and the significance of various symptoms.

Expand your knowledge

There’s also a section called Prepare that you can use as a kind of checklist to test your readiness for specific situations, such as severe weather or a flu outbreak. Some of the advice might seem rather obvious – "keep warm in winter" rather falls into the ‘duh’ category – but most of the info is relevant and useful.

You can test yourself with multiple-choice questions to make sure you’ve got the hang of the basics, and there are also options for making a donation to the Red Cross or for finding out about proper first-aid courses.

Are you prepared for life's little - and not-so-little - emergencies?

If you’re looking for something a little more in-depth then the free St John Ambulance First Aid app is a useful source of information. But for on-the-spot instant advice the Red Cross app is the one I want on my iPhone. ®

We make our selection of the best iPhone, iPod and iPad downloads every Thursday. It you think there's an app we should be considering, please let us know.